This is a joint venture between me and my sister eventually it will move to her user name but for now we are putting it out there for you.

This isn't part of my TSSK universe.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto just some DVDs and games.

A day in the life of a flower pig.

It was a quiet day; all the shinobi seemed to have a day off or that's what Ino was hoping, her dad was off with his former team mates and best friends, who knows where, leaving Ino stuck looking after the flower shop. She didn't mind; she actually enjoyed working in the flower shop. It gave her a purpose and a sense of freedom, but it would have been nice if her dad had asked rather than just running off while shouting that she would have to run the shop today. She released a sigh and re-did her hair into a tighter high ponytail, blowing her bang out of the way she set to work.

Stepping out the back she cursed her father seeing all the new deliveries abandoned, some looked half dead, others were dead and their compost had split, all the new flowers would have to be labelled and she had orders to fill, she was in for a long day. She attacked the new stock of flowers moving the dead flowers into the trash before digging through the remaining ones sorting them into piles, depending on how much care and treatment they would need to survive and become beautiful again. She'd just moved the plants that only needed a little water and small feeder into the shop and returned out the back to find an orange blob hovering in front of her.

"Naruto what are you doing in my trash!" She stormed over grabbing a hold of his trousers which is all she could see and yanked him down so that he ended up sitting on the ground in front of her.

"Hey Ino, why'd you throw these perfectly good plants away?" Naruto asked holding up the plants that she had tossed.

"Those are dead or too close to dying to save!" Ino blinked staring at Naruto.

"No they're not; you just don't have the time to save them, besides I always get my plants from the trash." Naruto shrugged.

Ino stared at Naruto; she'd gone past his apartment block hundreds of times she remembered seeing the beautiful plants and flowers that decorated Naruto's windows and balcony, they were all healthy and full of life. "You can keep the flowers," she smiled softly, "I don't expect you'll be able to do much with them, but it saves me a job."

"Thanks Ino, these will look great on the balcony, and where Mr. Ukki used to sit." Naruto smiled a real smile; his eyes weren't squinting at all.

"Wait what happened to Mr. Ukki?" Ino asked as he began to walk away.

"I gave him to Kakashi sensei." Naruto called back over his shoulder.

Ino smiled glad that Naruto was settling in with his new sensei even if he was a bit weird. She spent the rest of the morning sorting out and fixing everything out the back, she finally stepped behind the counter to begin writing out the new labels when she noticed that she had a customer. Asuma sensei was hovering around the bouquet area. She smirked walking up behind him, clasping her hands behind her back she rocked on her heels.

"So who are the flowers for Sensei?" She laughed as he jumped a foot in the air turning round and turning bright red.

"Umm, no one." He rubbed the back of his head shyly.

"You know this bouquet would be better for Kurenai sensei if you're going to meet her," Ino reached out plucking the flowers from his hands and assembling another one as he spluttered and turned a darker shade of red.

"I'm not meeting Kurenai!" Asuma huffed, as he was handed the second better bouquet, "Thanks," he nodded seeing that Ino really did know her stuff.

"You're welcome sensei. Have a nice time with Kurenai," she laughed as he muttered under his breath while pulling his wallet out.

Ino laughed and watched him go out the door; she waited all of five seconds before running to the door and sticking her head out. She laughed as she spotted a furiously blushing Asuma giving Kurenai the bouquet she'd just picked out. She smiled as her Sensei sheepishly grinned and walked away with Kurenai in the opposite direction. She walked back to the counter at the back of the store and pulled out the labels she would need for the new flowers, it was tedious working writing out all these labels but she had better handwriting than her father so she often was left with this job anyway, easily ploughing through the thirty odd labels before something else caught her eye.

Looking up she saw Sakuras' sensei Kakashi with the strange bowl haired green spandex wearing ninja, she swore that they were best friends or something you never really saw Kakashi with anyone else, but whenever these two met it was often something interesting, the perfect thing to brighten up her dull day. She stopped what she was doing trying to read what the bowl hair cut ninja was saying as it was impossible to tell what the other ninja was saying because he wore that damn mask all the time, she wondered what he looked like under that mask, was he really handsome or heavily scarred? Was he ashamed of the way he looked or was it part of his allure being a mystery? She frowned as they moved a part, so they were now stood in both her shop windows she watched eagerly as they counted down well bowl haircut guy did, you couldn't tell with Kakashi's mask, then they shook their fists down on the count of three and they were playing Rock Paper Scissors?

"Really? Two grown men playing a little kids game, when dad mentioned the epic battles between these two I did not expect that!" She fell back in shock then jumped to her feet accusingly as she watched the bowl hair cut guy jump up with glee a fist pumping in the air, he'd obviously won their stupid battle.

"What a letdown," Ino sighed.

"You know it's rude to spy on people," she squeaked as Kakashi stood looking at her orchid section.

"When the... How'd you get from there to there?" She turned pointing at the spot where the two ninja had been and where they were still standing. "Clone?" Ino sounded skeptical.

"Well there's not two of me, is there?" Kakashi drawled. "So umm I'm no good at keeping plants, and Naruto gave me this plant which won't die, and I was wondering if you had anything similar, so that, the plant doesn't get lonely, like out if place on my windowsill, and it's got to be able to survive when I go away on missions." Kakashi rubbed a hand on the back of his head.

"You mean Mr. Ukki? Naruto really got to you didn't he?"

"Well he umm said plants get lonely too, and they don't mind if you talk to them, and I kinda want to give my students something which will help teach them responsibility."

"For you an orchid, will work. Just water them before you leave on a mission then just feed it the drip." Ino responded. "Naruto doesn't really have to worry about plants he's actually pretty good with them, Forehead is okay and Sasuke probably wouldn't know what to do with a flower." Ino laughed. "Oh for Sakura try Aquilegia, or Cransbill, that's Hardy Geranium to you," she moved over to where her seeds were located. "Sasuke probably won't care too much about his flower, so, Nigella that's love in the mist, if you're not bothered but if you want to give him more of a challenge try sweet peas. Naruto came round earlier, took most of my dead or dying plants from me, but I suppose you want to be fair, so fuchsias or Nasturtium." She picked up the seeds and gathered the drips needed for Kakashi.

Kakashi left the shop leaving Ino alone again, sighing she started on the orders that would need to be delivered later that day. She sighed wiping her wrist across her head as finally she finished the latest bouquet. She was just moving the last order on to the trolley when she spotted someone going past her shop window. Looking up she realised it wasn't just someone but a few people. Hinata with Shino and Kiba either side of her, Akamaru sat on top of Kiba's head letting out a few little yips in agreement with Kiba who was talking animatedly. Following on from them was Shikamaru and Choji with a sheepish looking Naruto on the outside, Choji munching on crisps was nodding along to what Shikamaru was saying as Naruto listened avidly jumping about eagerly drawing out a sigh from Shikamaru, and trailing at the rear was Sasuke and Sakura, Sakura was clinging tightly to Sasuke which made Ino's blood boil. Sakura caught site of Ino and let go of Sasuke who speed up so that he was walking with Naruto.

"Hey Ino are you coming?" Sakura called, making the others all stop and look back.

"Where are you going?"

"To the Hokage Monument, to watch the sunset, we're going to have a picnic." Sakura answered. Ino looked back at her friends seeing that Shino was holding a basket.

"Yea – oh umm I have to get these deliveries out and close up the shop." Ino's smile dropped.

"We'll help deliver them." Naruto suggested.

"If we each take two orders then meet back here so you can close shop. It'll take no time at all." Sakura smiled.

The gang nodded and walked into the shop each taking two orders and claiming they'd be right back. Leaving Ino once again as she started tidying up her counter and locking the back door, gave the plants a last water before the night set in and waited for her friends to come back.

Sitting on the top of the Hokage monument with a picnic and surrounded by friends Ino remembered a time when they wouldn't have been doing something like this yet alone hanging out together. Her eyes settled on Naruto watching him bounce around in his seat only for him to get told off by Sakura. Naruto was the only one in their group that didn't have anyone to turn to, he didn't have admirers like Sasuke who liked being alone. Naruto craved friendship and understanding that's where his energy came from he was excited to be included. The sun started to set; casting an orange and pink glow enveloping them all. She smiled glad that she wasn't the only one that felt left out only to be surprised by her friends.

Thanks for reading.

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